One of the Zone’s most cherished traditions is our annual birthday gift for Johnny Depp.

Each year we choose a charity which is connected to Johnny’s philanthropic interests and his most recent work. We pool our modest contributions and make a Zone donation to a worthy cause in honor of Johnny, as a way of celebrating and thanking Johnny for all the joy he has given us over the year.

Since Johnny is currently working on The Lone Ranger in the American Southwest and the Navajo people have shown him such a warm welcome, we thought it would be fitting to choose a charity devoted to improving the living conditions of the Navajo people. So the 2012 Birthday Project will benefit . . .

Project Pueblo!

Project Pueblo is a 100% student and volunteer-led 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that conducts short-term, low-cost service trips to impoverished areas while raising money and awareness for relevant projects and issues. Project Pueblo is currently focusing on improving living conditions for the Navajo people in the area known as the former Bennett Freeze, a 2 million acre region within the Navajo Indian reservation of 8000+ families where only 25% have adequate shelter, only 10% have running water, and only 3% have electricity. In addition, this area heavily suffers from issues relating to uranium contamination stemming from mining during the Cold War. Project Pueblo partners with various organizations including Forgotten People, a grassroots, community-based Navajo nonprofit organization that has been fighting injustice and poverty for over 20 years.

Sean Wycliffe, the president of Project Pueblo, has agreed to earmark all of the Zone's donations for projects directly related to the Navajo. What can we do to help? Well, Project Pueblo is currently raising money to install water systems for Navajo families that have been drinking uranium-contaminated water because they have no other option.

Each water system costs approximately $1,500, so with the Birthday Project we could provide clean water for two, three . . . maybe even four families! Wouldn't that be a fantastic birthday present for Johnny? And a gift that will keep on giving for years to come.

You can read more about Project Pueblo, a small grassroots charity, here:

This is the kind of effort where our contributions can really make an immediate impact on the lives of Navajo families. Can you lend a hand?

How to Donate

.PayPal

.Click to donate

As in past years, the Zone has set up a Paypal account strictly for 2012 Birthday Project contributions to benefit Project Pueblo. Zoners or visitors with a Paypal account who would like to make a donation in any amount can donate to the 2012 Birthday Project here.

Personal check or money order

If you would prefer to donate to Project Pueblo directly, you can mail a check, made out to Project Pueblo, to this address:

You can also donate by credit card directly to Project Pueblo's PayPal account.

____________________

If you donate directly to Project Pueblo by check or credit card, please email theresa@johnnydepp-zone.com with your screen name and the amount of your donation, so we can add you to our donor list and keep our donation totals accurate. Thanks!

We will be accepting donations through Johnny’s birthday, June 9, 2012.

In these tough financial times, we know that this is not an easy year to find money in the family budget to donate to charity or give gifts. But we also know that Zoners have very generous hearts, and somehow we always find a way to say “Happy Birthday” and “Thank You” to Johnny, and to help people whose need is far greater than our own. Even in hard times, when we pool our small gifts together, we can do a lot of good for others.

Please join us in wishing Johnny Depp a very happy birthday, and in saying for all the joy he has given us, by donating to the 2012 Birthday Project.

Part-Time Poet

Last edited by Theresa on Sun Jun 17, 2012 12:49 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason:Edited to update address.

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. -- J. M. Barrie

Thank you PTP for choosing a project that blends so perfectly with Johnny I am sure Project Pueblo will appreciate every penny we are able to give and that our money can really make a difference to those in need

Thank you Theresa and PTP for making a donation so easy with all the variouse payment options.

... I just contributed my part to Johnny's birthday present

"You find a glimmer of happiness in this world, there is always someone who wants to destroy it." James Barrie/Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland

Thank you Part-time Poet and Theresa for once again putting together a Birthday Project which is both a fitting and very worthy cause. I suspected it would be Navajo related and am so happy my suspicions were proved correct.

Knowing just how generous our zone ladies are I'm sure we'll once again accumulate an amazing amount of money by June 9th.

I've already donated but will be sure to donate again before the deadline.

And Wit, was his vain frivolous pretenceOf pleasing others, at his own expense

I have made my donation, and I am a VERY proud member of this Community, this is my first Birthday project that I have had the pleasure of being involved with, and it's exciting that even small donations CAN make a difference

Once again, thank you to PTP and Theresa for organizing this wonderful Birthday Project

"There are no strings on ME!!" Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron"Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't": Johnny on music.Thanks to HG for my AVI'S

In-too-Depp wrote::applause2: Thank you Part-time Poet and Theresa for once again putting together a Birthday Project which is both a fitting and very worthy cause. I suspected it would be Navajo related and am so happy my suspicions were proved correct.

Knowing just how generous our zone ladies are I'm sure we'll once again accumulate an amazing amount of money by June 9th.

I've already donated but will be sure to donate again before the deadline.

Couldn't say it better myself!! I think this is a wonderful project and I am sooo happy that it reflects Johnny's interest and concern for this wonderful cause!!

I have finally found a way to live just like I never could before.I have finally found a way to live in the presence of the lord ~ E. Clapton

That video brought tears to my eyes. I had heard about this dispute between the Hopi and the Navajo and knew there were mining interests involved, but didn't know the details or about the freeze. I was in Navajo country in 2008 and it is beautiful country and they are beautiful people.

Thank you for choosing a Native American Charity.So many in need.Happy Birthday Johnny!!!! Johnny you can not entertain us better than you do.We appreciate your sharing life with us here on earth.

What is that? It is a Terrible Towel ,Chuckle A Terrible Towel?, Yes it is a Terrible Towel for you and your son. Over this left shoulder it went. Never to be seen or heard from again. I am always so misunderstood.

Once again many thanks to Theresa and PTP for bringing this to our attention and trying to make some good come out of Johnny's birthday gift - and like ITD - I have made a donation but no doubt will do so again nearer to the end - a truly great cause!

Dreams do come true -29 June 2009 - 25 February 2010 - 12 May 2011 - then sealed with a kiss on 3 November 2011 then May 9th 2012 Quote "" you mean our grandchildren"My Art Gallery

So hard to believe that such terrible conditions like this still exist in the U.S...so close to home. Thank you for bringing Project Pueblo and the conditions of the Navajo people to our attention. I'm sure we can make quite a generous contribution

Back at the beginning of last month, in the process of moving my brother's car from California to Maryland, a friend and I drove through a long section of the Navajo and Hopi Reservations along Arizona Route 264. Great open stretches of mesmerizing beauty but the extreme poverty was unmistakable. I could have been in any number of 3rd World locations and yet there we were in the US of A. Stunning disconnect. I haven't been able to forget the place or the people since then.

Thank you so much Theresa and Part-Time for picking Project Pueblo. Very much look forward to donating to help these groups work together and bring clean water to the Navajo people.

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested." Sir Francis Bacon, Of Studies